>> it is tuesday, september 24 at 5 p.m. in washington. we begin today with the human general assembly. world leaders from 193 countries have descended on new york city for their annual meeting this week. this morning, president obama address to the assembly and push for a un security council resolution that enforces syria's cooperation. but that was not the only thing

on the agenda. he also addressed nuclear role of first union iran. i am joined now by rt in new york. thank you so much for joining me. obama spoke this morning for about 15 minutes. he spent a good portion of that time talking about syria. tell us about what he had to say. >> there were a lot of foreign policy issues test upon, but at the top of the agenda is the continuing negotiating on possible security council resolution. when in terms of his speech, he certainly concentrated on syria them putting the chemical weapons under international control as well as a possible future of really palestinian -- of israeli-palestinian negotiations.

obama does continue to say that a strong resolution needs to take way so that syria remains chemical weapons free in the time to come. take a listen. >> the syrian government took a step by giving an accounting of its stockpiles. now there must be a strong security council resolution to verify that the assad regime is keeping its commitments here there must be -- commitments. there must be consequences if they fail to do so. if we cannot agree even on this, then it will show that the united nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws. >> have to keep in mind that the main opinion be tween -- between the united states and russia is whether any force should be used

whether syria refuses. russia believes this should not be the case here the u.s. thinks that sanctions and possible force is necessary. as we speak, the russian foreign minister is meeting with john kerry discussing syria particularly. how soon we can expect tangible results remain to be seen. analysts hope that something can come out as early as this week. >> a lot of differences to work out. we just learned to that president obama and the iranian president will not meet at the general assembly. any indication as to why? >> schedules between leaders are actually formed way ahead before they gather in new york city here in there was a letter speculation as to whether any kind of official meeting might

take race between obama and rohani. a stays to meeting in the hollering handshake or not. we know that the official meeting is not taking place. we do know that john kerry is meeting with his iranian soreness mr. -- foreign minister later this week. it is an indication of the relationship warming up and they are sitting down for the negotiations. with signs we have been seeing from obama earlier today when he was speaking about iran, saying that a diplomatic tour remains open if iran decides to walk. the a better relationship might ensue. taken this an -- take a listen and we should be able to achieve a resolution that respects the rights of the iranian people while giving

world confidence that the iranian resolution is peaceful. to succeed, conciliatory words must be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable. after all, it's the iranian government's choice that have led to the conference of sanctions that are currently in place. course the u.s. is obviously went to iran to not just talk the talk but walk the walk. we will see in basic him exactly what iran has to say about the possibility about -- possibility of making this relationship work out. >> what do we expect tonight. >> he is adjusting the united nations as we speak. this is something that is highly anticipated. as we know, over the last several years, mark mota would image ad -- mahmoud acridine

agenda -- mahmoud ahmadinijad had spoken. this speech is in fact expected to be a follow-up to what broke obama said earlier. it seems like both countries are ready to continue some kind of better negotiations. we do know that the iranian foreign minister said earlier this week that iran is ready to return to negotiations, the six-party talks. the speech today is expected to show that we could see better dialogue between the u.s. and iran for the time to come. >> thank you for all of the development. we will check in with you later for more. >> it wasn't too long ago that we learned that the u.s.

national security agency had been spying on both the leaders and citizens of several countries. one of those countries, brazil, to these revelations very seriously. so much so that the brazilian president actually canceled a state visit to washington, d.c. earlier this month. she didn't let her misses die easily. in fact, she had the world watching this morning as she addressed the very issue at her opening speech at the u.n. general assembly. >> it did not take long for the recent nsa leaks to rob the united states at the u.n. assembly debates. the brazilian president, who recently canceled a meeting with president obama and dedicated a third of her speech to bashing the nsa mass global surveillance operations. >> what we have before us, mr. president, is a serious case of violation of human rights and

civil liberties, a case of invasion and capture of confidential secrets, information pertaining to business activities. and above all, a case of disrespect to national sovereignty of my country. we have let the u.s. government know about our protest noby didn't -- by announcing and demanding that such actions will never be done again. >> result will put forth establishing a multilateral civil framework for internet governance and use as well as measures to ensure effective protection of the data and information trafficking through the internet. >> heading into today's u.n. general assembly debate, there have been a series of diplomatic

dustups between the white house and various south american nations. it was last week's tussle over airspace where the president said the united states committed serious offense by not allowing his airplane not to enter u.s. airspace on us would've china. there was an incident past july where morales had his airplane force to land in vienna when -- in what he called a sky jacking when it was thought that edwards noted was in it. they called it -- that edward snowden was in it. ecuador's foreign minister sat down with rt to talk about how

president obama has handled the an essay spying scandal. >> he hasn't apologized to anyone, not even his so-called friends are his who old enemies. it looks as if his friends are not really his friends. his friends are so trustworthy that he has to spy on them. i think the brazilian president was very brave and her recent decision. i was very happy to hear that should suspend your trip to the united states out of dignity. it is impossible that it is possible -- it is impossible that someone would spy on me and then invite me to come visit them. it is not only disrespectful, but a violation of international laws. >> the white house was interested in addressing the nsa controversy. in his nearly 45-minute speech, president obama didn't mention the essay one time. despite this sounds, the white house understands there may be economic consequences for its mass spying on both hostile and

friendly nations. the brazilian president counseling her land october meeting with the white house may have cost boeing a $4 million fighter jet contract. other nations like bolivia, ecuador and venezuela, they all carry your important trade relations with the united states that could be in danger as more and essay secrets are exposed .o >> moving onto a mishap of that part of persons. in january, 1961, the united states almost new itself. -- almost nuked itself. the report that the bombs each carried a four-megaton payload. 260 times more powerful than the bombs job in not a sake and here

she met in world war ii. -- then the bombs dropped in not nagasaki and hiroshima in world war ii. a small valve function -- a small malfunction prevented what would've been the most widespread nuclear damage in his history. through research, he said he has discovered nearly 700 incidents like this that took place between 1950 and 1968 in the public had no idea. he said the u.s. government has consistently tried to withhold information from the american people in order to prevent questions being asked about their nuclear weapons policy. we were told there was no

possibility of these weapons accidentally detonating. but thanks to research, we now know that is not the case. it is labeled as potpourri and market the faces a popular cartoon characters and sold on store shelves all of the country. synthetic marijuana is causing a public health emergency. dozens of people in colorado, tennessee, and georgia crowded emergency rooms after a bad batch of weed. the mother of nick colbert filed a lawsuit against the store that sold her son a batch back in 2011. but she's not the only mother to experience such a tragedy. tomorrow, a hearing on capitol hill will talk about the dangers of these substances. he for them, we have the story of three families dealing

with the real consequences of synthetic marijuana. >> i had never heard of synthetic marijuana until probably the day after my son died. i was at my friends house and i got a phone call. i was told that my son had died. >> our son, no different than any other child, he was a straight a student, played baseball, did everything by the book. unfortunately, somebody there introduced in more however he got involved in it and it was all down -- downhill from there. >> i bought a bag and i tried it. and then i got addicted. i smoked it and smoked it and smoked it. i was smoking half a bag today. >> three families, thousands of miles apart, but all linked by a dangerous drug.

these are the stories of an athlete who is headed to college. emily bauer from a 17-year-old known for her funky help callers and alex dobbin, and adventure. three stories, three very different outcomes. it goes by many names. >> climax and mr. nice guy. >> spice, k2, scooby snacks. >> it is also known as synthetic marijuana. it is a designer drug were chemicals are created in a lab and sprayed on herbs and sold in stores. synthetic because it is meant to mimic the effects of actual marijuana. these drugs can be purchased in guest stations and convenience stores, cleverly marked as popery -- marked as popourri. just as the parents of tristan cantor.

their son began experimenting with drugs when he was 15. after years of trying to get clean, he turned to synthetic cannabinoids as an alternative to not only is it easily accessible but the stuff doesn't show up on drug tests. >> i recall her mother finding'w what they were. >> they were his -- they were his sons way to get a high, high ward dangerous than originally thought -- a high more dangerous than originally thought. >> use in a vehicle with other people, not driving, but became almost paralyzed him he could not move in the desk and move. -- he became almost paralyzed. he couldn't move. >> emily has been smoking marijuana for months until one day her body couldn't take it anymore. >> you did know where she was.

she wasn't making any sense. she was bumping into walls here and >> she had multiple strokes that damaged 70% of her brain and her family was told that she would remain in a vegetative's date. >> what was that moment like -- visited state. >> what was the moment like when you were in going to stomach asian? -- going to stop medication? >> that was the worst. >> she first had no control of her arms and legs and she was blind. then she's back at school and learning to walk again. the family believes that her peas is to condition combined with the synthetic cannabinoids almost took their daughter's life. >> where are you getting it from? >> the corner store, of course. >> did they asked friday?

>> -- did they ask for id? >> no. >> hallucinations, trouble breathing, real effects the doctors have reported. in just 2010 alone, the drug was linked to over 11,400 emergency room visits. >> is rushing roulette. you don't know what you're going to get. >> is a statistically karen dobler knows by heart. her son max only tried synthetic marijuana one time and it cost him his life here. >> the store owner actually talk to them into purchasing the product. a friend drove him home, smoked it and dropped him off. she said when he walked into the house, he looked fine. a few minutes later, he didn't feel so fine. half an hour later, he jumped into his car and drove 100 miles down the road.

people were calling 911 saying they see a car going 100 miles an hour down the road, weaving in and out of traffic, on the wrong side of the road, making corners wide. and eventually, his car landed in a house. he flew 80 feet through the air and landed in a house and died. >> max's death is a reality that the dobler family confronts every day. >> it is still painful. it is a different life. my life is different without max. he was my best friend. so my life has completely changed. it was a horrible ending to a beautiful life. >> one and nine high school seniors admitted to try adding -- to trying synthetic cannabinoids. it won't be long before there are more deaths as a result of these dangerous chemicals.

>> max was the perfect son. he did all the right wings. he made one mistake and it killed him. anything could happen to max, it could happen to anybody. a kid and -- any kid. >> a student was assaulted walking in upper manhattan. they seek -- a sihk was attacked , pushed her down and hit multiple times in the face. it was a hate crime. since 9/11, there have been an increase in attacks in new york of sihks that have been mistaken for muslims.

it is all part of a growing trend toward osamaphobia. in washington, d.c., many representatives have said disparaging things about islamists. let's talk about how we see attacks on sihks in the united states. >> these members are often targeted unfortunately because the men wear turbans and they often wear very long beards. and bigots not being brain surgeons, they associate turbans and beards with muslims. we see it quite often. we have come to the assistance of seeks -- of sihks on a number of occasions. in california, elderly sihk men out for a walk among shot and

killed. the first to death after 9/11 was a sihk man shot to death in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. we see this too often. we saw in this case as well that the individual was called osama, in other words, osama bin laden, and called the terrorist. on the same day, we see a muslim woman in a pro-democracy rally in new york and was called a terrorist and was hit. the person was arrested. it is an unfortunately growing phenomenon. as the muslim community, we are a tiny minority. we cannot combat or challenge growing us,pho -- or challenge growing islmamaphobia.

>> is this irrational fear growing in the u.s.? >> we have seen a number of states where right wing anti- muslim extremists in state legislatures take a template for motive by a right wing anti- muslim extremist named david your shell and they introduce them in the state legislature. they dream of fear against islam and muslims. -- they drum up fear against islamist muslims. i think they promote anti--- anti-muslim hysteria and this is one way to do it. it is like outlawing unicorns. use care in a tuple and create enough anti-muslim hysteria, at least they feel they are having some impact. it is a negative impact, but it seems to be with a one. >> we hear a lot of anti-muslim rhetoric coming from politicians. so many of our congressional leaders -- i remember hearing

peter king calling for a hearing on islam. >> i have seen people kill kill al qaeda guys and yell out ala akbar. >> for people who don't know, can you explain what this means? >> it means god is great. it is one of the most common phrases muslims under. every day you pray, he say it. you see in your daily life. senator mccain brickley mentioned that -- correctly mentioned that.

pundits and extremists are constantly manufacturing these false controversies. it is utter nonsense, but people believe it and they are willing to believe it. >> how does rhetoric like this, coming from politicians, really impact the way that americans are formulating their attitudes toward the muslim american community? >> our research shows that up to one third of americans have active hostility. that is a pretty sizable minority. we find through our research that it is almost always do of ignorance and i got a hate call from a lady-ish dan she was spouting these lies. i -- a lady who was spouting these lies. i said i you willing to change

what you believe. she said no. i said if you are not willing to change your thinking to what you believe in our lives, then i can't help you. [laughter] >> many are trying to disassociate themselves from terrorism. they are going to great lengths to do that. i want to get your thoughts. what do you think this really says a about the fear that muslim americans have about the kind of backlash that might be coming? >> in times of crisis, we are less concerned about the backlash and more concerned about our nations security. hector the boston marathon bombings, there were some backlash incidents. but the main concern is to stop these things from happening and repudiate any acts of terrorism by any form by whoever does it. there is no cause that can justify these kinds of acts.

and then worry about any potential backlash. >> i do some much for coming on and giving us all your insight. just over a week ago, 12 people were killed and eight others injured when government contractor and alexis opened fire at the u.s. navy yard. angela's is an firetrucks fled to the scene last monday as a country -- ambulances and fire trucks fled to the scene last monday. while the city of washington commended its fire and ems departments in response to the shooting, a recent investigation has called into question whether moore had can -- more could have been done. >> officer scott williams was shot multiple times in both legs. the ambulance that transported him to washington hospital center did not have a paramedic onboard her.

dispatchers reported. >> units available. ambulance for as and dispensed at this time. >> medic unit seven and eight had both been downgraded. meaning they were operating without a paramedic. paramedic units had to be brought in from maryland in a fire department has repeatedly struggled to provide timely emergency care as dozens of paramedics have resigned and ambulances are in disrepair. >> this has been an ongoing issue for years that i don't think the city has adequately solved her. even with the addition of nine paramedics, d.c. will still be far behind other cities, including columbus, memphis and phoenix, places with comparable control always. according to the head of the

d.c. fire union, the city has been in a downward spiral. >> they are overworked and stressed to -- and stressed. they have mandatory held over time without -- overtime against their wishes. >> in response to criticism, d.c. fire spokesman downplayed the ability to transport rations last week. >> this is the nation's capital. we should be the best in the country. we need more resources. >> without proper maintenance and staffing, those facing medical emergencies in the nation's capital are left vulnerable. >> see right back here at 8:00.

 welcome to newsline. wednesday september 25th. i'm catherine in tokyo. the president of kenya says the siege in nairobi is over. extremists stormed the complex saturday shooting shoppers and taking hostages. they spent four days hold up inside. security force have